Martin Switches Course, Uses Low Line for URSS Win

JETMORE – He tried his hardest for a few laps, but Jason Martin finally bit the bullet and changed his mind. The change proved valuable as the Liberal driver won again Saturday night as the United Rebel Sprint Series showcased its talent at the Great American Dirt Track at Jetmore Motorplex.

As triple-digit temperatures and a slight breeze dried the 3/8-mile track throughout the night, the dust picked up along with the intensity of the drivers. “I was trying my damndest to get the top blown in by myself, but I wasn't going anywhere until that red (flag) came out,” Martin said. “Then I decided if I was going to win this thing, I needed to get to the bottom.”

Martin started eighth in the feature, while Tyler Knight and Judd Sheaffer started on the front row. Knight led the first lap before Mike Woodruff took the lead on the next circuit. Josh Fairbank, who started sixth, moved into the runner-up spot on the third lap, with Darren Bowman moving into third on lap four. That's when the lights in turns one and two would go out, bringing out a red flag. After a 22-minute delay, Woodruff paced the field back to the green, followed by Fairbank, Bowman, Knight and Sheaffer. Martin restarted in eighth.

Fairbank got by Woodruff on the restart to take the lead, and Martin would move into the top five on lap six.

Martin's decision to drop down low helped him move up the field. He used the lip around the bottom of the track in the corners to gain traction and spots. “It was almost like a mini cushion on the inside,” Martin said. “If you could get to the bottom of that, you were OK. The floor pan is all messed up, and I couldn't get the brakes to work because the floor pan was all mashed up.” Martin moved into third on lap 10, then he and Woodruff bumped in turn two, ending Woodruff's night on the backstretch as he slowed with front-end damage on lap 11. Fairbank paced the field back to the green, followed by Martin, Bowman, Ray Seemann and Luke Cranston. Martin got by Fairbank coming out of turn four on lap 12 and slowly would distance himself from the pack for his second win in Jetmore this season.

Meanwhile, the battle for the rest of the top five spots was intense. Bowman got by Fairbank on lap 14 to move into second. “You had to be on the berm, right on the bottom,” Bowman said. “If you hit that berm wrong, it was bad news. I got a heck of a bite on Josh to get into second. I tried to get by him and get back to the bottom as quick as I could.”

Bowman would hold down the second spot the remainder of the race, while Fairbank, Seemann and Cranston battled it out. Cranston would use the berm coming out of turn four to literally jump in front of Seemann on lap 19, only to see Seemann get back by him on the next lap. Fairbank would hold onto third, while Seemann finished fourth and Cranston fifth.

“You had to be real patient,” Bowman said. “When I got around Josh, Jason was quite a ways out there, and I caught myself overdriving for a couple laps. I thought to myself I had to slow down because I was hurting myself. I just slowed down a little bit and tried to hit my marks. I thought I'd have a chance at him when he got to lap traffic, but he got through lap traffic so fast that I didn't have a chance.”

Heat race winners were Woodruff, Sheaffer, Brian Herbert and Barry Crane as 29 cars checked in for the night.

Kris Moore won the Keizer Aluminum Racing Wheels Hard Charger award, going from 17th to eighth.

Feature results

1. Jason Martin, 2. Darren Bowman, 3. Josh Fairbank, 4. Ray Seemann, 5, Luke Cranston, 6. Barry Crane, 7. Tyler Knight, 8. Kris Moore, 9. Brian Herbert, 10. Nick King, 11. Keefe Hemel, 12. Judd Sheaffer, 13. Kasey Beckham, 14. Cody Caldwell, 15. Zach Blurton, 16. Kaden Taylor, 17. Connor Atkinson, 18. Lance Davis, 19. Jared Kern, 20. Mike Woodruff (DNF).

1st B feature

1. Luke Cranston, 2. Keefe Hemel, 3. Zach Blurton, 4. Kris Moore, 5. Kaden Taylor, 6. Craig Jecha, 7. Jerry Caldwell, 8. John Blurton, 9. Raymond Blackburn (DNF), 10. Michael Williams (DNF).

2nd B feature

1. Cody Caldwell, 2. Lance Davis, 3. Jared Kern, 4. Kasey Beckham, 5. Connor Atkinson, 6. Mike Parker, 7. Jared Kern, 8. Brian May, 9. Dan Brummet (DNF), 10. Steve Dalton (DNS).